We have already been working hard on the 2013 season and today's blog is the current list for returning starters for each team in 2013 broken down by offense (including positions), defense (including positions) and special teams (kicker/punter). Below is the list I broke down teams with the most/least returning starters.

2013 Returning Starters

RK

TEAM

CONF

TOTAL

OFF

QB

RB/FB

REC/TE

OL

DEF

DL

LB

DB's

K

P

1

Bowling Green

MAC

19

10

1

1

4

4

9

3

2

4

1

1

1

Indiana

BIG 10

19

10

1

1

4

4

9

2

3

4

1

1

1

Miami, Fl

ACC

19

10

1

1

3

5

9

3

3

3

0

0

1

Texas

BIG 12

19

10

1

1

3

5

9

3

3

3

1

0

1

UTSA

CUSA

19

10

1

1

4

4

9

3

2

4

1

1

5

Hawaii

MW

18

10

1

1

3

5

8

2

3

3

1

0

5

Mississippi

SEC

18

8

1

1

2

4

10

4

3

3

0

0

5

UNLV

MW

18

8

1

1

3

3

10

4

2

3

1

0

8

Arizona

PAC-12

17

7

0

1

3

3

10

2

4

4

0

0

8

Army

INDEP

17

9

0

2

2

5

8

2

3

3

0

0

8

Colorado

PAC-12

17

10

1

2

2

5

7

3

2

2

1

1

8

Middle Tennessee

CUSA

17

8

1

1

2

4

9

2

3

4

0

1

8

Rice

CUSA

17

7

1

1

1

4

10

3

2

5

1

1

8

South Alabama

SUN BELT

17

9

1

1

4

3

8

3

2

3

0

1

8

Tulane

CUSA

17

9

0

1

4

4

8

3

2

3

1

1

8

ULM

SUN BELT

17

8

1

1

2

4

9

3

2

4

1

1

8

Washington

PAC-12

17

10

1

2

3

4

7

2

3

2

1

1

17

Buffalo

MAC

16

9

1

1

4

3

7

1

3

3

1

1

17

Colorado St

MW

16

8

1

2

1

4

8

2

2

4

1

0

17

Georgia Tech

ACC

16

8

0

2

2

4

8

1

4

3

1

1

17

Minnesota

BIG 10

16

10

1

1

3

5

6

3

1

2

0

1

17

North Texas

CUSA

16

8

1

1

2

4

8

2

2

4

1

0

17

San Diego St

MW

16

7

0

1

3

3

9

3

3

3

0

1

17

Wake Forest

ACC

16

8

1

1

2

4

8

3

2

3

1

1

24

Auburn

SEC

15

6

1

1

0

4

9

4

1

4

1

1

24

East Carolina

CUSA

15

7

1

1

2

3

8

2

3

3

0

0

24

Louisville

BIG EAST

15

6

1

1

2

2

9

4

2

3

1

1

24

Marshall

CUSA

15

8

1

1

2

4

7

4

1

2

1

1

24

Michigan St

BIG 10

15

8

1

0

3

4

7

2

2

3

0

1

24

North Carolina

ACC

15

6

1

0

3

2

9

3

2

4

0

1

24

Northwestern

BIG 10

15

8

1

1

4

2

7

2

2

3

1

1

24

Old Dominion

INDEP

15

9

1

1

3

4

6

2

2

2

1

0

24

Oregon

PAC-12

15

8

1

0

3

4

7

2

2

3

1

0

24

Oregon St

PAC-12

15

8

1

1

2

4

7

2

2

3

1

0

24

Stanford

PAC-12

15

8

1

1

2

4

7

2

2

1

1

0

24

TCU

BIG 12

15

6

1

0

2

3

9

3

2

4

1

1

24

Temple

BIG EAST

15

8

1

0

3

4

7

2

3

2

0

0

24

USC

PAC-12

15

8

0

2

3

4

7

3

3

1

1

0

24

Utah St

MW

15

8

1

0

2

5

7

2

3

2

1

0

24

Washington St

PAC-12

15

7

0

0

3

4

8

2

3

3

1

1

24

Wisconsin

BIG 10

15

8

1

1

3

3

7

4

2

1

1

1

41

Akron

MAC

14

7

0

1

3

3

7

3

1

3

1

1

41

Arizona St

PAC-12

14

6

1

0

2

3

8

4

2

2

1

0

41

Ball St

MAC

14

7

1

1

4

1

7

2

2

3

1

1

41

Boston College

ACC

14

7

1

1

2

3

7

2

2

3

1

1

41

BYU

INDEP

14

9

0

2

3

4

5

0

2

3

1

0

41

Cent Michigan

MAC

14

7

0

1

4

2

7

2

3

2

1

1

41

Cincinnati

BIG EAST

14

8

1

0

2

5

6

2

2

2

1

1

41

Duke

ACC

14

7

0

1

2

4

7

4

1

2

1

1

41

Georgia St

SUN BELT

14

7

1

0

2

4

7

3

2

2

1

1

41

Houston

BIG EAST

14

9

1

1

3

4

5

1

1

3

0

1

41

Iowa

BIG 10

14

7

0

2

2

3

7

2

3

2

1

1

41

New Mexico St

INDEP

14

8

1

1

2

4

6

1

2

3

0

1

41

Notre Dame

INDEP

14

6

1

0

2

3

8

2

3

3

1

0

41

Oklahoma St

BIG 12

14

7

1

0

3

2

7

2

2

3

0

0

41

Pittsburgh

ACC

14

5

0

0

2

3

9

3

3

3

0

1

41

Virginia

ACC

14

7

0

0

3

4

7

2

1

4

1

1

41

Wyoming

MW

14

7

1

1

3

2

7

2

2

3

1

1

58

Alabama

SEC

13

6

1

0

3

2

7

1

4

2

0

1

58

Baylor

BIG 12

13

6

0

1

2

3

7

2

3

2

1

1

58

Boise St

MW

13

6

1

0

3

2

7

3

2

2

0

1

58

Clemson

ACC

13

7

1

0

2

4

6

3

2

1

1

0

58

Connecticut

BIG EAST

13

8

1

2

1

4

5

2

1

2

1

1

58

Eastern Michigan

MAC

13

8

1

2

3

2

5

3

0

2

1

0

58

Fresno st

MW

13

7

1

0

3

3

6

1

2

3

0

1

58

Georgia

SEC

13

10

1

2

2

5

3

0

2

1

1

1

58

Kentucky

SEC

13

6

1

1

1

3

7

2

3

2

0

1

58

LSU

SEC

13

8

1

0

2

4

5

1

2

2

0

0

58

Memphis

BIG EAST

13

7

1

0

2

4

6

3

1

2

0

1

58

Miami, Oh

MAC

13

8

0

1

3

4

5

2

1

2

1

1

58

Mississippi St

SEC

13

7

1

1

1

4

6

2

2

2

0

1

58

Nebraska

BIG 10

13

9

1

1

3

4

4

1

1

2

0

0

58

Ohio St

BIG 10

13

9

1

1

3

4

4

0

1

3

1

0

58

Penn St

BIG 10

13

8

0

1

4

3

5

1

1

3

1

1

58

Purdue

BIG 10

13

5

0

0

2

3

8

3

2

3

1

1

58

San Jose St

MW

13

7

1

0

2

4

6

2

3

1

1

1

58

Southern Miss

CUSA

13

5

1

0

2

2

8

3

3

2

0

0

58

Syracuse

ACC

13

6

0

1

2

3

7

2

2

3

1

1

58

Tennessee

SEC

13

5

0

1

0

4

8

2

3

3

1

1

58

Texas St

SUN BELT

13

6

0

0

3

3

7

3

1

3

1

1

58

Texas Tech

BIG 12

13

5

0

1

2

2

8

4

2

2

1

1

58

Toledo

MAC

13

9

1

1

3

4

4

2

1

1

1

1

58

UCLA

PAC-12

13

7

1

1

1

4

6

2

3

1

1

0

58

UL Lafayette

SUN BELT

13

7

1

1

2

3

6

3

2

1

0

0

58

Utah

PAC-12

13

6

1

0

3

2

7

2

3

2

0

0

58

Vanderbilt

SEC

13

7

0

1

3

3

6

1

2

3

1

0

58

Virginia Tech

ACC

13

4

1

1

0

2

9

4

1

4

1

1

58

WKU

SUN BELT

13

6

0

2

1

3

7

0

2

5

1

1

88

Air Force

MW

12

6

0

0

3

3

6

2

1

3

0

1

88

Arkansas St

SUN BELT

12

6

0

1

1

4

6

2

1

3

1

0

88

Florida Atlantic

CUSA

12

5

0

1

2

2

7

3

1

4

1

1

88

Illinois

BIG 10

12

9

1

1

4

3

3

1

1

1

1

1

88

Maryland

ACC

12

7

1

1

2

3

5

1

1

3

1

1

88

Michigan

BIG 10

12

6

0

1

3

2

6

2

2

2

1

1

88

Missouri

SEC

12

6

1

0

3

2

6

3

1

2

0

0

88

Northern Illinois

MAC

12

8

1

1

2

4

4

1

1

2

1

0

88

South Carolina

SEC

12

7

1

0

2

4

5

2

0

3

0

1

88

UAB

CUSA

12

5

1

1

2

1

7

4

1

2

1

1

98

Arkansas

SEC

11

4

0

0

2

2

7

3

1

3

1

0

98

Florida

SEC

11

6

1

1

1

3

5

1

2

2

0

1

98

Idaho

INDEP

11

7

0

0

3

4

4

3

0

1

0

0

98

Kansas

BIG 12

11

5

0

2

1

2

6

3

3

0

1

1

98

Kent St

MAC

11

6

0

1

3

2

5

3

1

1

0

1

98

Navy

INDEP

11

5

1

1

1

2

6

1

2

3

1

1

98

Nevada

MW

11

7

1

1

3

2

4

4

0

0

0

0

98

New Mexico

MW

11

7

0

1

2

4

4

1

2

1

1

1

98

NC State

ACC

11

5

0

1

2

2

6

3

2

1

1

1

98

Ohio

MAC

11

6

1

1

2

2

5

1

1

3

0

1

98

Oklahoma

BIG 12

11

7

0

2

1

4

4

1

2

1

1

0

98

UCF

BIG EAST

11

6

1

0

2

3

5

2

1

2

1

0

98

UTEP

CUSA

11

6

0

1

3

2

5

3

1

1

0

0

112

Florida St

ACC

10

6

0

0

2

4

4

0

1

3

0

0

112

Rutgers

BIG EAST

10

6

1

0

1

4

4

2

1

1

1

0

112

Texas A&M

SEC

10

6

1

1

1

3

4

2

0

2

1

1

112

Tulsa

CUSA

10

7

1

1

3

2

3

0

2

1

1

1

112

USF

BIG EAST

10

4

0

0

2

2

6

3

2

1

0

0

112

Western Mich

MAC

10

2

0

0

1

1

8

1

3

4

1

1

117

California

PAC-12

9

4

0

0

2

2

5

1

3

1

0

1

117

Iowa St

BIG 12

9

5

0

1

1

3

4

1

1

2

1

1

117

Massachusetts

MAC

9

4

1

0

3

0

5

2

1

2

1

1

117

SMU

BIG EAST

9

6

1

0

3

2

3

0

0

3

1

1

117

West Virginia

BIG 12

9

3

0

0

1

2

6

1

2

3

0

0

122

FIU

CUSA

8

5

1

1

2

1

3

2

0

1

0

0

122

Kansas St

BIG 12

8

7

0

1

1

5

1

0

0

1

0

0

124

Troy

SUN BELT

7

3

1

0

1

1

4

2

1

1

1

1

125

Louisiana Tech

CUSA

6

2

0

0

1

1

4

3

0

1

0

0

The amount of returning starters does not always equate to success or failure for the upcoming season but it is a great tool to at least get a basis on what your favorite team has coming back next year as far as experience goes and you can compare it to the rest of the country.

Last year in this blog I talked about several teams that were the most experienced in the country and a couple of them went on to pretty good seasons including Texas Tech who went from 5 wins in 2011, then returned 19 starters and went on to win 8 games this past year. UTSA, which led the country with 21 returning starters last year, had a solid 8-4 season in their first season of FBS.

On the opposite end, last year of the four bottom teams in terms of least experience (Boise St, Air Force, Toledo and Temple) three of them saw their record get weaker from the year before. In 2011, defending national champion Auburn who returned only 7 starters, which was an incredible 3 fewer than any other team would go from 14-0 to 8-5.

In 2013, five teams sit at the top as of now with 19 returning starters back on offense and defense combined. Two of them are coming off bowl seasons and two others would have been bowl eligible in normal circumstances. It is quite clear from the outset that expectations will be high in Austin this year with 19 returning starters back from a 9-4 team. The Hurricanes provided they are not hampered with any sanctions look like a team that can compete for an ACC title while Indiana might be a surprise pick to make it to a bowl after making strides last year under 2nd-year HC Wilson. Finally, Bowling Green off a 8-5 season looks like one of the clear favorites in the MAC.

At the bottom of the rankings comes Louisiana Tech fresh off a 9-win season as not only did they lose the most starters in the country, they also lost their head coach as new coach Skip Holtz will have his work cut out for him. Three teams in the Big 12 also come in at the bottom of the list and it will be interesting to see if Bill Snyder can continue to work his magic with such an inexperienced group coming back.